


When Beacon Fell

by fairyteller



Category: RWBY
Genre: 3x12 - Freeform, All Is Not As It Seems, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery, Silver Eyes, Spoilers, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-15 05:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13606935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyteller/pseuds/fairyteller
Summary: "When Beacon fell, I lost two of my friends. Penny Polendina and Ruby Rose."One second makes all the difference. Ruby makes it up the tower in time to save Pyrrha. But who will save Ruby?An alternate take on Volumes 4 and 5 for the upcoming anniversary of 3x12 End of the Beginning.





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that since the events at Beacon changed, every event following will have changed. Some situations may seem very similar, but the emotions and motivations behind them have changed. It’s basically the butterfly effect, however every gap will not be filled in in this story.

_“Pyrrha thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking. And because of that, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn’t win.” – Ruby Rose, RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 5: Necessary Sacrifice_

…

Ruby didn’t know what she thought she was expecting as she ran up the side of the tower.

Her mother used to kiss her forehead, smiling as she told Ruby the story of a huntress who would save the world.

Did she really think she would get up and aid Pyrrha in beating Cinder? Did she really think that she could was the deciding factor in this war? That her one year of training would tip the scale?

Her father had always told her she would change the world. Her Uncle had always said she was going places. Professor Ozpin had said she was special. And she believed them. She believed that maybe – just maybe – she would make a difference. Make the world better.

Once she lands at the top, she feels her heart stop. She watches the arrow shoot from the bow in slow motion, straight towards Pyrrha’s heart.

She wanted to be a huntress because she wanted to help people.

In an instant the world speeds up again, and in a burst of rose petals her speed record is broken as she throws herself in front of Pyrrha.

…

Pyrrha was waiting.

This was a risk she had chosen to take. It didn’t matter if this fight cost her everything, if the odds were stacked against her, she could at least say she tried. At the very least. She tried.

But the impact never came. A small, childing gasp sounded from somewhere in front of her.

Pyrrha opened her eyes after a long beat and saw red. And the tip of an arrow mere inches from her face.

The ground shook as little Ruby Rose, the youngest huntress to enter Beacon, fell heavily to her knees.

“Ruby?” The girl had thrown herself in front of Pyrrha like a human shield and even though the arrow didn’t hit Pyrrha it felt like it did.

“Oh, little Red,” Cinder purred, the shock in her voice expertly hidden into something condescending. “Why did you do that?” She stepped forward tauntingly slowly.

Pyrrha struggled, her ankle pulsing with pain, preventing her from standing to fight. To protect Ruby.

“Stop!” Pyrrha pleaded desperately. “Please, don’t.”

Cinder ignored her opting to focus only on Ruby. “I can see it in your eyes,” She stroked the side of Ruby’s face. The young girl’s eyes were blown wide in shock and hurt, and her anguished breaths rattled in her chest as she struggled to breathe, and Pyrrha guessed that the arrow had pierced something. “He told you that you were special. That you could change the world? He lied to you. You are just disposable as any weapon. Be proud, little Red. You have served your purpose.”

Cinder then hit Ruby over the head with a swing of her bow, sending her sprawling to the side with a cry of pain.

“Ruby!” Pyrrha yelled, trying to get up again and groaning as she felt the head of the arrow shift in her ankle.

“And you,” Cinder growled, stepping closer to Pyrrha. “What did you think you were going to do here? Did you think you could really make a difference? You’ve been played, little girl, and now you will pay his price.”

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, glancing over the Ruby’s shaking form. She was trying to get up. The arrow was still sticking out of her stomach, shaking with her labored breaths.

 _Stay down,_ Pyrrha prayed. _Stay down until this is over. Don’t watch._ She prayed that Cinder would go about her business and forget that Ruby was still alive. She prayed that someone would come back for Ruby. It wasn’t too late for her.

Cinder pulls the bowstring back again, and an ember coated arrow appears out of the dust.

“No!”

_No!_

Ruby had finally made it to her feet. Pyrrha was horrified to see that her body was not quite solid. The arrow in her middle was glowing, and the body that sheathed the arrow was glowing as well, and even Pyrrha could see she didn’t have much time. It was like she was disintegrating. Pyrrha didn’t know what was keeping her together.

But none of that mattered because Ruby’s eyes were burning.

Not with the low orange glow that the arrow was infecting her body with. It was a silver glow, streaming from her eyes like tears that didn’t know what gravity was. Before either Pyrrha or Cinder could comment, Ruby _exploded_.

Giant wings burst from her eyes. The wrapped around the Cinder as she screamed in outrage and pain and they wrapped around the giant Grimm dragon that rumbled in agony.

But they wrapped gently around Pyrrha. She only had to shield her eyes from the blinding light as something soft yet chilled surround her.

When the light faded and all she saw was the dark behind her eyelids, Pyrrha lowered her arm and opened her eyes.

The Grimm was frozen in place, it’s mouth opened wide in a silent roar. It’s previously yellow eyes were glassed over and milky. It wasn’t dead.

Pyrrha turned her head to see Cinder jump off the side of the tower, holding her face, and one of her arms limp at her side.

Pyrrha stood, with every intention to go after her, but an odd realization struck her. She looked down at her foot. Her ankle was no longer throbbing. The arrow was no longer lodged in her, but the hole in her armor revealed a silvery scar in its place.

Bewildered, she looked around. Ruby had disappeared. Pyrrha called her name, waking over to where she had been. As she approached the edge of the tower, she could see _something_ floating away towards the glowing shattered moon.

Pyrrha felt her breath slip from her mouth in a quiet gasp. She knew what had happened. She felt tears well up in her eyes at she stared into the sky, the stars twinkling with embers.

There was a rush of air and feathers behind her, but she didn’t turn around, unable to pull her gaze from what had been her friend as it scattered in the winds.

“Ruby!” A familiar voice called out, as if the panicked yell call fell out of his mouth unfiltered.

Pyrrha didn’t say anything; she wasn’t sure if she could. She just pointed to the moon. To the embers slipping away into the distance.

Qrow stepped up beside Pyrrha and took in what had happened. The dragon and the petals Ruby had left behind as she ran.

“No…” He whispered, turning towards the sky as if he was cursing the stars themselves. “You can’t have her… Not yet…” Pyrrha didn’t know who he was talking to, but she didn’t look to him. She stood unmoving, and it was getting harder to see her remains in the distance.

“You can’t _have her,_ ” Qrow’s voice began to raise. “Give me another chance, it’s not her time!”

There was no response.

“I can fix this!” Qrow yelled. “Just give me the chance, I won’t let… _You can’t have her!_ Just…” Qrow’s voice dropped again. “Just give me another chance.”

The moon seemed to glow brighter as the ashes disappeared.

Qrow hung his head, running his hands through his hair and mummering to himself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he straightened up.

“Come on kid,” his voice was thick as he tried to compose himself again. “Your friends are waiting for you.”

“She got away,” Pyrrha informed him, not tearing her eyes from the moon, watching a single white rose petal floating away from who knows where. “She killed Ruby and she got away.”

“Kid, come on, we shouldn’t stay here.” Qrow’s voice wavered slightly, as if he was trying to be strong.

Pyrrha finally looked to Qrow. His face was devastating, and she had to remember that he was Ruby’s mentor. That he practically raised her.

“I’m not letting her win,” Pyrrha said, her face set in determination. “Tell me what I have to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/7/18


	2. Winter

_“I didn’t know them for very long but that doesn’t change the fact that they were two of the most kind-hearted people I’d ever met. But that didn’t save them.” – Ruby Rose, RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 5: Necessary Sacrifice_

…

Weiss looked at herself in the mirror. She was cold. She didn’t know when she had taken off the bloodstained white jacket, but she knew that she wouldn’t put it back on for anything.

_She remembered waiting in fear at the bottom of the tower. She had sent Ruby up, and only a few moments later her world was engulfed in white._

_The next thing she knew, Ruby’s uncle was escorting Pyrrha down the tower._

_There were unshed tears in Pyrrha’s eyes._

Weiss’s fists were clenched, when had she done that? She looked into the mirror to see a little girl, trembling before her own reflection.

_“Pyrrha!” Weiss had called in relief. “What happened? Where’s Ruby?”_

_She didn’t remember if Pyrrha had answered. She didn’t remember when she had realized it for herself._

Weiss’s fist was dripping with blood. That was new.

_She did remember being dragged away from Blake and Yang by some Atlas personal. She remembered sitting in the med-bay of Atlas shuttle with her eyes wide open. She remembered her father sending her to her door, saying they’d discuses it over dinner._

_She remembered Kline informing her that no one had shown up for the meal when he brought her a now cold serving._

_And that brought her back to cold._

She was cold.

She looked into the broken mirror at her broken reflection.

…

Blake stood on the balcony of the _Pride_ , a large ship that would take her home.

Sun stood beside her, in silence, the weight of the words he had been carrying now shared upon both their shoulders.

Blake had experienced a lot of silence in her lifetime. She was used to it. She had had a quiet childhood. All that had disappeared when she arrived at Beacon. When she had become part of something greater then herself. With Team RWBY the silence had vanished.

She thought she had missed it. Even with all the new things she gained, she still missed the peace and quiet. But this silence was different. It was bad.

_Ruby…_

When she had left Beacon, she had watched Yang being loaded into a transport ship back to Patch. Where her father was waiting for her. She had thought Ruby was on that ship too.

_She couldn’t believe it…_

As the ship got closer and closer to her home, Blake’s heart was weighted down with the guilt of leaving her team behind. At Beacon she learned that home did not have to be a place. But when it fell, when her home crumbled in her hands with Ruby’s life and with Yang’s arm, Blake did what she always did and ran.

_She was gone…dead._

When Sun had told her the truth, it was like all sound had vanished from her world. Blood roared in her ears and tears pricked at her eyes.

She didn’t like this kind of silence.

_And now she’s gone. One of the kindest, purest people Blake ever had, and ever would meet, was gone._

_This girl is the definition of purity._

Blake and Sun did not speak as the saw pink and orange light on the horizon, lighting up the island of Menagerie in the distance.

…

When Yang woke up it was sunny. Inappropriately sunny.

On what was by no question the worst day of her life, the world was bright and happy. She knew something was wrong even before she opened her eyes.

When the sunlight hit her eyelids, Yang groaned. She heard a shuffling from across the room and someone grab her hand.

“Yang?” Her father’s voice was soft.

She cracked her eyes open.

She hadn’t seen so much sorrow on her fathers face before. Something was very, very wrong.

When she had become strong enough, Yang had had shut every door and every window in their house. Ruby had hated closed doors. Yang wasn’t sure why, that was one secret Ruby had never shared with her sister. Though, calling it a secret was not quite the right word. Some fears were so deeply written into her code, that Yang wasn’t sure Ruby had truly understood the reason either.

But every open door reminded Yang of her. Every open window reminded her of happiness and hope and that willpower that Ruby had held.

And it hurt to remember. To remember Ruby and to remember hope.

So, Yang spent her days closing doors. Slamming them shut day after day. She knew who was opening them, there was only one other person in this house. And she knew that if she asked him to, he would stop.

Her father tried to help her recover, he managed to get her an arm and was there for her every step of every day. He gave her space, didn’t overwhelm her with his presence. But she knew he was always there. He was a hoverer. He had always been.

Ruby hadn’t minded. So, neither did Yang.

She couldn’t bring herself to wish doors closed forever. Windows still brought in the light, closed or open. It didn’t really matter.

But Ruby was gone.

So too, was Yang.

…

“I’m sorry.” Pyrrha murmured, Jaune looked to her, his eyebrows raised. He lowered his hands from her arms. Her arms glowed for a few more seconds before it returned to normal, completely healed.

“What?” He seemed confused. He had been so elated the moment before, having just unlocked his semblance after a tough fight with some Grimm. But that pure joy on his face had reminded Pyrrha what she had robbed him of. What she had robbed all of them of.

“I’m sorry,” She repeated. “I… I don’t know what I’m doing. I barely know what we’re looking for or what we’re going to find when we get to Mistral. And…and I know this is hard, I know none of you want to be here and-”

“Pyrrha,” Nora spoke softly. She was not known for her soft voice. It made Pyrrha finally look up. “We’re a team. There’s nowhere else we’d rather be.”

Ren stepped up next to her, “You are our leader, we would follow you anywhere.”

Pyrrha shook her head, looking away. “You shouldn’t. You shouldn’t follow me on blind trust.”

“Pyrrha, you _earned_ out trust,” Jaune grabbed Pyrrha’s hand as she tried to walk away. “Please, Pyrrha. _Listen to us_. We’re a team. We want to be here for you.”

“That’s just it! It’s my fault we’re out here fighting for our lives and it’s my fault that… that all of this happened.”

_It’s my fault that Penny is gone._

_It’s my fault that Ruby is dead._

“No, it’s not,” Jaune said adamantly, as if reading her thoughts. “This was Cinder’s fault. You can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened that night, Pyrrha, it’s not healthy and it’s not true.”

 “We’re a team, we stick together. Protect each other.” Ren said wisely.

“Through it all,” Nora finished, smiling. Pyrrha wiped away a tear and smiled back weakly, causing Nora’s smile to widen. “Now come on! We can’t stand around in the rain all day! We have a mission!”

…

Qrow looked down at the four children. He had chosen to follow them to Mistral. To watch over them. He could envision Ruby among them, weighed down with destiny and grief but smiling anyway. Because she thought she could make a difference.

And so did these kids.

He had told the redheaded girl; the one Ozpin had been willing to trust with maiden powers. The one who had watched Ruby die. Pyrrha Nikos. He told her where his next lead was taking him, telling her the dangers of this mission.

But she had been adamant. _“She killed Ruby and she got away. I’m not letting her win. Tell me what I have to do.”_

He felt a little guilty about telling her about Mistral. But Ozpin had trusted her. She had wanted to know. And… and he knew that Ruby would’ve taken this mission if she could. And Ruby wouldn’t stand a chance without someone watching her.She had her team, her friends, and they would lead her in the right direction. Nevertheless, Qrow felt an odd responsibility over these kids.

They had been Ruby’s friends after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/8/18


	3. Spring

_“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. That I didn’t think about them every day since I lost them. That I didn’t wish I had spent more time with them.” – Ruby Rose, RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 5: Necessary Sacrifice_

…

Blake had been last, and they found her before she found them.

Yang had arrived first, driving in on her motorcycle with a shiny new arm.

“Uncle Qrow!” She called across the street, her voice filled with elated joy. She walked her bike through the busy crowed as fast as she could. “I knew you’d be here, I knew it!”

She jumped on her uncle, causing him to fall over, knocking over a fruit cart.

“Firecracker? Is that you?” Qrow sounded shocked, but hugged Yang back with just as much gusto. “What are you doing here?”

She got up and brushed herself off, before offering her new arm to help her uncle up, and he took it without hesitation.

She laughed, as if he had told a joke that only she understood. “It’s a long story.”

Weiss arrived not long after, holding Myrtenaster in one hand and her scroll in the other. “Yang?” She cried in delight and surprised, dropping both her weapon and her scroll to jump into her friend’s arms, tears of joy streaming down her face.

“Weiss!” Yang squeezed Weiss back. “I heard Atlas’s boarders were closed! How’d you get here?”

“I snuck out,” she said coyly. “Before they closed them. I ran into some trouble on the way, but when I got into the city I saw your name on my scroll!”

She bent down to pick her scroll back up, holding in out to show Yang.

Yang’s face fell for a quarter of a second.

Team RWBY’s school photos were shown, with their health and fighting stats and the words _‘local connection only’_.

Weiss’s and Yang’s names were lit up nicely, both at full health. Blake’s flashed the words _‘out of range’_.

Ruby’s photo and stats was greyed out.

Weiss lowered her arm, looking at the scroll for a long time. Yang pulled her back into hug without another word.

And only a few days later, a shocked passerby abruptly stopped outside of the café the six of them were eating lunch at had said “Weiss?”.

“Sun?” Was Weiss’s equally shocked answer.

“Dude! Your hair can be seen from like, a mile away! Hey guys! What are you doing in Mistral?” Sun’s tail curled around Jaune’s drink and stole it from under his nose.

“Oh, you know,” Nora grinned widely. “Saving the world, the usual.”

“Same here!” Sun said, jumping up and spilling Jaune’s drink, and Jaune’s cries of protest went unheard. “Oh! Blake’s here too! Well, not _here_ here, but-”

Yang and Weiss had abruptly stood, cutting off the overexcited boy.

That’s how they had found themselves at the faunus’s base of operation a few miles away, watching Weiss, Blake, and Yang hug each other tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Blake had stammered when she saw who Sun had brought. “I’m so, so, sor-”

Weiss had leaped into Blake’s arms, silencing her with a hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Weiss mumbled into Blake’s shoulder.

Yang walked up hesitantly. Blake looked at her from around Weiss’s shoulders, her yellow eyes filled with tears. Yang offered her a small smile, just as sad, before wrapping her arms around her two remaining teammates.

They held each other tight and close, as if at any moment they would be torn apart again.

No one mentioned who was missing.

…

Qrow leaned over the balcony of the house, staring intently at the moon. It was almost full. The wreckage and debris getting closer and closer together before it’s inevitable scattering in a few days.

As he looked down into the street, a memory appeared unbidden in his mind.

_Ruby was running across the yard, Yang chasing her. They were laughing._

_When Yang had insisted that the two of them had to play huntresses, Ruby was only too eager to agree. Ruby had always shown interest in being a huntress, and she had spent hours crafting her “scythe”. It was a mishmash of cardboard held together with tape and liquid glue that had barely finished drying._

_“Like yours, Uncle Qrow!” The girl had laughed before Yang had begun to chase her, and Qrow watched them play from the porch. He watched Ruby closely. She was young, but she still reminded him of Summer. The way she ran, the way she laughed, the way she smiled._

_Qrow felt his semblance spike, and Ruby suddenly cried out, tripping over her own feet. She slowly sat up, brining her knee up to examine in. Qrow rushed over, his heart sinking, and as he got closer he saw her silver eyes well up with tears as she tried not to cry._

_Yang hurried over as well, sitting next to her sister, apologizing for running too fast._

_“It’s okay, firecracker,” Qrow tussled her hair. “She’ll be fine, go run and grab a band-aid for me, will you?”_

_“I’ll get you the best band-aid we have, Ruby!”_

_As Yang rushed back into the house, Qrow bent down to inspect his niece’s leg._

_“Ah, I think we’ll have to replace this with a metal leg, kiddo,” he joked. “Maybe even a peg-leg, like a pirate.”_

_Ruby let out a little laugh, rubbing at her eye. “Uncle Qrow,” She whined. “It’s not funny.”_

_“Then why are you laughing?”_

_She laughed again, before protesting “No, I’m not!”_

_Yang ran back out, waving around a band-aid still in its paper packaging._

_“You’re in luck kid,” Qrow rubbed some disinfectant on the cut before pulling the band-aid out. “Looks like your sister got you a Pumpkin Pete band-aid.”_

_Ruby laughed again, and any trace of previous hurt had disappeared from her face._

_“There you go, rosebud,” He said. “All better.”_

_“Thanks Uncle Qrow!”_

_The two girls then launched themselves at their uncle, pulling him into their game._

There was a gust of wind that sent shivers up his spine, pulling him back to the present. A light from a streetlamp down on the street flickered out, and a beat later the whole pole fell over with a loud clang.

Qrow cringed, inwardly apologizing to whoever would have to fix that.

“Real funny,” he muttered to empty air. “Thanks.”

The wind blew again, hitting Qrow as if it were scolding him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he groaned. “Laugh it up.” He ran a hand through his hair, muttering how he was going crazy, before he straightened up and stretched his arms to the sky.

“The Blake girl said that the attack’s going to happen when the moon is full,” He spoke to the air, turning to face away from the street. “Same day that Leo invited us back to school to discuss further action. Sound suspicious to you?”

The only answer he got was the sound of the wind.

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

He walked back into the house, not giving a second look to the glowing moon.

…

“You do not have to fight tonight.” Ozpin looked around the circle of teens, gazing at them through Oscar’s eyes. “Associating yourselves with me is very dangerous, and once you join there is no walking away.”

“Yeah, well,” Yang’s arms were crossed as she leaned against the drywall, Blake on her right and Weiss on her left. “Maybe they’d be more of us here to fight if you’d told us that earlier.”

“Yang.” Qrow scolded gently.

 _“What is she talking about?”_ Oscar asked in his head.

“Miss Rose knew that being a huntress was dangerous,” Ozpin ignored Oscar. “Do not disparage her choices.”

“Oz,” Qrow’s voice was hard as he glared at the professor. “That’s enough.”

 _“Miss Rose?”_ Oscar pressed.

“She was a capable huntress, she knew what she was doing.”

“No, she didn’t!” Yang’s fingers clenched into fists, but her arms did not move from their crossed position over her chest. Blake and Weiss eyed her wearily, their own faces covered in sorrow. “She didn’t have a clue! None of us did!”

“Hey, easy firecracker,” Qrow stepped forward, ready to intercept his niece in case she decided to take her anger out on a fourteen-year-old boy. “We’re working together, no more secrets, remember? We can’t… we can’t fix what happened, but we also can’t turn on each other now.”

“ _‘No more secrets’_ doesn’t bring my little sister back, does it?” She glared at Qrow, who actually took a step back, looking heartbroken. She turned back to Ozpin. “I don’t give a shit about you or your war. But you know what? _She would have._ ”

She then stalked out of the room. Weiss and Blake, who had been unable the either agree or disagree with either sentiments, cast weary glances at their companions, before hurrying after her, hopefully to calm her down.

Ozpin released Oscar, and before Oscar could question him, he disappeared to wherever he went when he wanted Oscar to figure things out himself. Oscar fell to his knees, tired, and Pyrrha Nikos instantly was at his side helping him back up.

“Thanks,” He panted, before looking up at Team JNPR and Qrow. “Who… Who’s Ruby?”

The five looked at each other, as if electing who could best soften whatever blow they were about to hit him with.

“A close friend,” Ren said finally. “Yang’s younger sister and the head of Team RWBY.”

Nora smiled at Oscar sadly. “She had this innocent view on the world, like it was all a fairytale. All she wanted was to help people.”

“She was good,” Pyrrha agreed. “She fought for all the right reasons. There are not many I can say that about.”

“And you?” Oscar turned to Pyrrha, his green eyes wide and curious in the most familiar way. “Why do you fight?”

Pyrrha watched Oscar for a while, reading his face as if through it she could read his very soul.

“When Beacon fell,” she finally relented. “Two people died for me. Penny Polendina and Ruby Rose.” Pyrrha tried not to glare furiously at Oscar, knowing her gaze could not reach through the boy and pierce the old man inside. “I won’t let them die in vain.”

Oscar took a step back, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Ruby died fighting at the Battle of Beacon,” Jaune clarified, not looking at Oscar as he spoke. “She was the only huntress in training to die that night. She was fifteen.”

Pyrrha felt bad for Oscar. He was only fourteen. Not old enough to be in this war, but here anyway. He didn’t ask for this. He was a good kid with the soul of great destiny residing along with his own.

But… Ozpin…

After Qrow had told them the full story of the maidens and Salem, Pyrrha had felt betrayal deep inside herself, the unspoken words carving into her heart.

_Ruby Rose died for your war._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/10/18


	4. Summer

_“If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that’s what I choose to do; to keep moving forward.” – Ruby Rose, RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 5: Necessary Sacrifice_

…

Yang didn’t know when the night had taken such a turn.

The moon was full that night, the broken shards as close to each other as possible. It was glowing. Pyrrha had said that the only time she’d seen it glow in such a way the night Beacon fell.

But the battle of Mistral was nothing like the battle of Beacon.

The battle was turned in their favor, the White Fang was dismantled before they could do anything. There were no civilians, no innocent casualties.

There was a gust of wind that made the Yang’s bones shiver, she watched Weiss to the same out of the corner of her eye

Weiss was watching Vernal wearily. She heard Blake outside, yelling at Adam. Nora, Ren, and Oscar were doing their best to dodge attacks from Hazel. Raven and Qrow where hashing it out and Lionheart was nowhere to be found. Yang was holding her own against Mercury and Emerald.

Jaune and Pyrrha were making a stand against Cinder, and Yang couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

Pyrrha had said that Cinder had killed Ruby.

The gust of wind grew stronger, so strong that Pyrrha had to brace herself. She sent a quick glance back and saw that her companions had done the same. Looking forward again she saw her opponents looking slightly worried.

The gust of wind continued to grow, putting all fighting to an abrupt halt.

It started with one white rose petal.

As Blake hurried back into the hall, having finished her confirmation with Adam,  she froze, watching the number of petalsmount to an uncountable mass that churned around the room, the flow of the breeze carried the petals flying in on the wind. They swirled around each other creating a blizzard in the room.

And then another gust blew in red.

Weiss gasped, looking around in wonder.

Qrow’s eyes widened in surprise, his rapid thoughts clearly readable on his face.

Yang’s arms dropped from their fighting stance.

There were far less red petals. They kept in tight formation, navigating themselves though the blizzard and creating their own little mini tornado. The petals began to swirl closer together. So close, that it seemed that they were combining together.

Then a very familiar red cape burst out of the red mass, flapping in the direction the wind was blowing.

“Ruby.” Cinder hissed in anger.

“Summer.” Raven muttered, her eyes still set on the blizzard of white, in disbelief.

“No way.” Qrow breathed, and Pyrrha was startled to see hope and happiness on his face.

Suddenly the white rose blizzard died, the petals dropping out the air and onto the ground like snow. Sparks and embers jumped off the red storm in the center of the room, and in the blink of the eye the mass of petals shot out _something_ straight towards Cinder.

Cinder, unprepared, screamed in agony as an arrow pierced her leg.

The red mass then burst out in every direction, sending the fallen white petals on the ground scattering with the wind it produced.

Qrow looked eagerly towards the spot the storm had just vacated and felt something inside him break. He had broken his one rule. He had gotten his hopes up. When the wind first blew the rose storm in, Qrow had thought for sure that it was Ruby and Summer.

He’d heard the legends of the silver eyed warriors hundreds of times. He had forced Ozpin to tell him everything he knew – not allowing any room for his vague tendencies – after Summer had died and it was too late.

They’re strong warriors, feared by no one more then Grimm. It was said even a single look could strike a Grimm down. He’d seen it when Ruby had frozen the giant dragon atop Beacon Tower.

When Ruby was born with silver eyes, Summer had cried.

She refused to tell anyone why. Why, on what for the rest of her days she would proclaim as the happiest day of her life, she had wept with tears of sorrow.

Qrow hadn’t understood until after she was dead. _After it was too late._

So, when Summer’s petals scattered, Qrow did not know how much more his heart could handle.

But then again, it hadn’t been too late for Ruby. Until, of course, it was.

As Ruby’s petals scattered, sending one vindictive arrow to the woman who had killed her, Qrow felt like dying. He cursed the moon and he cursed Grimm. He cursed whatever he could think of, he even cursed his own name.

When the next shot rang out, he realized he shouldn’t have bothered.

All heads turned up. Up. Up in the balcony… was Crescent Rose.

…

Yang didn’t know what was happening. The sight of rose petals filled her with fear and an inexplicable sorrow. But the sound of the shot was like music to her ears.

She knew that sound. She remembered listening to it from her bedroom window in the dead of night as her little sisterp practiced in secret. She remembered hearing it in the midst of battle, fighting beside her team. She remembered hearing it as her little sister jumped in excitement, having just crafted her first real huntress’s weapon.

She looked up to Crescent Rose. The familiar weapon a sight for sore eyes. The scratches and nicks that her little sister had memorized. She had always said the best part of a weapon was the stories it told, the battles it had seen.

She looked different. She wore the same clothes that she always wore. The same clothes that Yang had last saw her in. She looked as if she hadn’t aged a single day. But she still looked different. It was her eyes. They looked as if they had aged a thousand years.

Her eyes were glowing, which distracted Yang, and maybe that was their intention. They glowed like the moon, and Yang was confused. They looked otherworldly, and the little girl almost didn’t look alive. There was no small smirk as she fired the sniper rifle.

The compacted dust hit Cinder, sending her flying backwards.

On the trigger of the scythe was Ruby Rose.

Yang managed to tear her eyes away from her little sister and turned to her friends. She saw similar expressions of awe on their faces.

Pyrrha stepped forward. “How is this possible?”

“Leave her!” Their heads whipped back to Cinder, who’s eyes were burning. Every enemy weapon was pointed at Ruby. “She’s mine!”

Ruby twirled Crescent Rose around and slammed it into the ground, cracking the foundation of the balcony. She said nothing, her eyes narrowed but otherwise she didn’t move. She just stood there, watching.

Cinder cried in anger and flung herself at Ruby, and the battle continued again.

Mercury’s foot came out of nowhere, and Yang’s arm shot up to block it. “Come on, blondie, you can do better than that.”

“I don’t have time for you.” Yang growled, throwing a punch, hitting him in the nose. He shouted out in pain, grabbing his face.

“I have bigger things to worry about.” She muttered, looking up to Ruby’s fight with Cinder.

Just past the two was Qrow and Raven bouncing around the room slashing at each other with their swords.

Weiss suddenly cried out, causing Yang’s gaze to snap away from her mother. Vernal’s weapon electrocuting her. Vernal had a visious look of satisfaction on her face, but as Weiss fell, a large sword emerged from behind Vernal from one of Weiss’s glyphs on the floor and slammed down onto Vernal. The warrior fell, knocked out cold with her aura gone as well.

Weiss sent Yang a smirk before running to aid in the fight against Hazel.

Blake cried out in frustration, Emerald sending her visions that Yang could not see. She turned to run and help her, but then Mercury latched onto Yang’s arm, pulling her back into her own fight. She glared at him in fury, ready to beat him into the ground. But Blake growled again indicating she was getting frustrated, and Yang let the arm detach. She was done with Mercury.

But then, another cry was heard over the battle, causing all eyes to turn.

“ _PYRRHA!”_

White light engulfed the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/12/18


	5. The Silver Eyed Warrior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The End of the Begining aired on the RT site two years ago today!

_“We all went to Beacon because we wanted to help people. But you’re right. None of asked for this either.” – Ruby Rose, RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 5: Necessary Sacrifice_

…

Ruby didn’t know where she was.

One second, she was running up the tower. She saw Pyrrha, and _Cinder_ , and her world burst into pain and light.

The next second she was here.

It was bright here, but it was familiar. The ground was covered in a white dust that reminded her of snow. She looked around in wonder, wandering forward.

“Hello?” She called out timidly. “Is anybody here?” _Where is here?_

She suddenly tripped, tumbling into a summersault with a cry of surprise before popping back up in fighting stance, looking wildly around. When she saw nothing but bright white, she looked down to see what she had tripped on.

A headstone.

_Thus Kindly I Scatter._

Ruby slowly looked up, her silver eyes widening as a white figure came into view before her.

“Mom?”

…

She missed Remnant. The world she had lived in was bright and colorful and Ruby had loved life.

This place was none of those things.

The sky around her changed with the moon. Bright white for a full moon, dark blue for a new moon, spotted blue and white during the crumbling cycles.

She felt out of place here, her clothes of red and black sticking out in the endless white of the ground.

Her mother told her to listen closely. If she did, then she could hear the heartbeats of the world beyond this place.

Ruby had tried. She had tried to hear the voices of her friends, hoping to hear them echoing around this new world and provide her some comfort.

Summer Rose didn’t explain what this place was, and she wasn’t around often.

“I have to watch over some things,” She had explained with a smile that had previously only existed in Ruby’s memories. “One day you will too, but it isn’t your time yet, rosebud. Not for a long time.”

So, she came and went, letting Ruby entertain herself with the dust.

The dust of the floor served many purposes, but mostly it worked like the dust found on Remnant. Ruby spent countless cycles practicing with Crescent Rose and getting better practice with her semblance.

She would sit at her mother’s feet, letting the dust slip through her fingers, trying to listen to whatever her mother was listening to.

But today the dust was swirling around and around the endless empty space.

“What’s going on?” Ruby spun around, looking to see if her mother would appear with answer. Sure enough, Summer appeared, her cape flowing with the dust storm, adding white rose petals to the mix.

“It’s time for you to go home, Ruby.”

“What are you talking about?”

Summer just smiled at her daughter, floating up to her and placing her hands on her shoulders, bending down slightly to kiss her forehead.

It felt as if Summer had planted a seed for Ruby to foster into an idea. She looked up to her mother with understanding and fear.

“Will I remember this?” She asked, felling like a child. She _was_ a child.

Her mother didn’t answer, stroking her cheek with a soft smile. Without answering, she burst into white rose petals, leaving Ruby alone in the swirling mass.

Ruby pivoted around in the opposite direction the storm was swirling, her heart thumping and ears pounding.

Through the gaps of the dust and petals, she could see glimpses of what seemed to be a magnificent hall. There was a battle.

Ruby felt her semblance claim her, red petals drifting into the fray.

Ruby didn’t realize how different this place felt from Remnant. But in the swirling mass of dust and roses, she felt _different._

The real world was less muted. Her senses felt clear and sharp and she could already feel adrenaline pumping through her veins. There were _smells_ and _colors_ and _sounds_ and Ruby didn’t realize how much she had missed it all.

“Ruby.” A voice hissed in anger. Oh. She hadn’t missed her. _Cinder_.

A memory burst into her head. The tower, the arrow, Pyrrha. Embers. Cinder Fall, the woman who had set Grimm and terror loose on Ruby’s world.

Ruby could see the arrow that had sealed her fate, and without thinking she sent it flying at the woman who had wanted to end the world.

Suddenly the blizzard her mother had created was gone, and she was in the magnificent hall. Yang was there. Weiss and Blake were there. Pyrrha and Jaune. Nora and Ren. Her Uncle Qrow.

She swirled herself up to the nearest balcony, took aim, and fired Crescent Rose.

…

Ruby didn’t have words for Cinder. She could feel the monster that resided within the woman. All for just a little bit of power.

“Oh, little Red,” Cinder’s purr sounded a little like a growl. “You certainly are a weapon. Forged, reborn. A _tool_.”

She tried to slice at Ruby with a fire sword, but Ruby just ducked out of the way, not replying.

“She told me you’d be back, you know.” Cinder taunted. “Your mother has caused her some problems, and never the less you will too. But she told me how to prevent that.”

Ruby swung her scythe again, not answering. _Salem._ Ruby didn’t know where she had heard the name. Maybe in the endless cycles she had spent straining to hear her friends, she had picked up things she wasn’t listening for.

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with, do you?” Cinder growled, her anger flashing as Ruby ignored her words. “You’re just a little girl who thinks that she can actually make a difference.”

Ruby disappeared into a whirlwind of rose petals, knocking Cinder over and appearing on the other side, her scythe having stuck her covered arm.

“Fine!” Cinder had reached her limit, not used to being up shown in such a way. “An eye for an eye, a girl for a girl! Let’s fix history, shall we?”

 _She’s playing God_. Ruby realized a second too late.

Cinder launched the burning spear forward, hitting an unsuspecting Pyrrha from behind, and piercing her with a cry of shock. Something inside of Ruby shattered.

“ _PYRRHA!_ ” Life flashed before Ruby’s eyes. A life she had not remembered living. A life where her cry was uttered earlier, under worse circumstances. On top of the tower.

Her eyes burned, and a familiar white filled the room.

When the light dissipated, Ruby had to struggle to stay standing. She heaved a deep breath, feeling the long-healed wound Cinder had killed her with as if it had just happened.

She glared down at Cinder, who had fallen to the ground in pain, clutching her arm.

Cinder looked up to her, her mask shattered and her last eye burning with the Fall Maiden’s powers and hatred.

Ruby reached out, holding her hand a few inches in front of Cinder’s face. Cinder was too weak to protest as Ruby spoke.

“An eye for an eye,” She repeated, staring the woman down. “Does not fix anything. It does not justify her actions, and does it justify yours.” She looked out to the hole in the magnificent hall that revealed the moon. When her mother had kissed her head, she had planted an idea. Ruby now knew what she knew what she had to do.

“I think it’s time we reset the scale, don’t you?”

The moon glowed brightly in answer, and out in the world four wisps of light lifted from four girls, floating away to find a new host.

Raven and Cinder both suddenly fell to the ground, out cold. As they fell, their allies ran, too scared to continue to fight. But Ruby didn’t have time to concern herself with the two women or their compainons, one of which she hadn’t even suspected as a maiden, instead channeling her energy to rushing over to Pyrrha in a burst of rose petals.

The wasn’t really listening to the voices around her, her eyes and ears only focused on Pyrrha. The girl she had died for was _dying_.

Suddenly, before Ruby could even take in what was happening and start a course of action to save Pyrrha, blonde filled her vision. Jaune Arc was sitting across from her, the two facing each other from opposite side of Pyrrha’s limp body, his arms glowing with white aura, and Pyrrha’s body was doing the same.

His voice was the first thing that filtered back into her senses.

“-nna be fine, okay? Can you hear me?” Ruby tore her eyes away from the wound slowly closing on Pyrrha’s chest to blink up at Jaune. “You with me?” His eyes were wide, and his expression screamed fear and concern.

She nodded slowly, feeling drained and numb.

Jaune hesitated, looking down at Pyrrha before looking back to Ruby. His blue eyes swept over her face, is mouth slightly open, and Ruby could read his mind on his face. _How are you alive?_

Ruby let her gaze slip past Jaune to the moon, still glowing brightly behind the broken wall. The white rose petals scattered around the floor of the hall had slowly begun to pick themselves up and float out of the room.

A small gust of wind swirled a few up around Ruby, blowing her hair around and she lifted her head to watch her mother’s trail disappear off into the sky. She felt a tug at her heart.

A hand dropped onto her shoulder, and Ruby knew who it was before he spoke.

“How ya feeling, rosebud?” She glanced up at her Uncle Qrow.

“I saw her,” she whispered. “I did. She told me what to do.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, kiddo,” he smiled tightly, and she could tell he was worried. “How are you feeling?”

Ruby didn’t answer, looking up to her uncle with glassy eyes. She was tired. Really tired. She felt her eyes roll up into her head.

There was a shout of alarm, and Ruby was falling forward. She felt herself being caught before she hit the ground. Then she was gone.

…

“I think it’s your turn to tell us a fairytale.”

Ruby was sitting up in a large bed, the pillows set behind her propping her up. She stared at the people seated around her, then let her gaze drift back down to the yellow covers pulled up over her lap, tracing her finger over the diamond pattern stitched into the quilt.

It was so yellow, which was a color she hadn’t though she’d ever miss so much. And it was soft. As she dragged her finger over it she felt the cotton and lint and texture. This world was real.

It had started with her Uncle Qrow. He had been here when she first opened her eyes, sitting in a chair next to her bed, out cold. She didn’t know how much time had passed since her return, but when she looked out the window it was day. She had let him sleep.

As the sun continued its high arc in the sky, the door had opened. Ruby, still curled up in bed, watched as Yang strolled in and opened the window. A fresh breeze hit Ruby’s nose, and her heart swelled. She let her eyes droop shut again, content. _This place was real._

The next time she woke up, Qrow was awake too, sitting on a couch at the far end of the room next to the door. He was talking to a boy who Ruby didn’t recognize.

He couldn’t be older than fourteen, and his eyes were green with a ring of orange in the center. The boy had tanned skin and dirty clothing. He wasn’t dressed like a hunter, and Ruby wondered how Qrow knew him.

Yang was still here too, sitting with Blake at the foot of Ruby’s bed. They leaned against each other, back to back, supporting the other to keep them both upright. Blake was reading, and Yang was writing what seemed to be a letter on a pad of paper set on her lap. Ruby squinted and made out their father’s name on the first line. She was only slightly surprised to notice that one of Yang’s arms was now made of metal, though she didn’t remember it being like that before. Weiss was present as well, sitting in the chair Qrow had vacated, her eyes trained on the open window.

Sitting just under the window was Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. The three were leaning on each other’s shoulders, their eyes closed as they rested under the cool summer’s breeze.

“Ruby?” Ruby turned her gaze back over to Yang, who had looked up from her letter to break the silence. Her eyes lilac were wide and hopeful, and her voice caused every other eye to train her.

Things happened in a whirlwind. People were speaking over each other, and there was crying and apologies, and it was overwhelming.

Then Uncle Qrow had called for quiet, and told her the story of the four maidens, and Ruby was surprised to find that she didn’t need to hear it. Despite never have hearing it before, she found that she knew it already.

The young boy had introduced himself as Oscar Pine, and then his eyes had flashed, and Professor Ozpin had welcomed her back. Again, the revelation didn't startle Ruby as much as if probably should have.

“So, kiddo,” Qrow had prompted after watching his niece for a few seconds. “I think it’s your turn to tell us a fairytale.”

Ruby Rose had stared mortality in the face and had won. Of course they would want to know what happened. But as Ruby looked around, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander. She didn’t know how long she had been gone. She didn’t think it had been too long, but everyone around her looked so different. They were all wearing different clothes.

Weiss carried herself differently, taller but not in the smug way she had when they fist met. Blake walked around with her ears free. Yang had _metal arm_. They had all grown in so many ways. So much had changed, and Ruby didn’t recognize this future. She wondered what did her own future look like?

After a few moments of picking at her bedding, Ruby, her head still down, spoke for the first time.

“I saw her. I did. She told me what to do.”

“Saw who?” Yang leaned forward, placing her hand over Ruby’s. Ruby’s brain went on overdrive. She had to tell them.

“She told me what to do,” Ruby insisted. “And I tried to listen, I did.”

“Ruby, who are you talking about?” Blake’s voice was calm but demanding and so… _familiar._

“I-I tried to listen, but I couldn’t hear! And then… and then _Cinder_ …” Ruby choked on her words and the world began to overwhelm her. The smell from the open window, the feeling of the cotton under her fingers and the feeling of Yang’s warm hand a top her own.

Qrow stood, taking a step towards Ruby, and she felt like a child. The memory of a little girl sprang forward, trying not to cry as her uncle patched up her skinned knee.

 _There you go, rosebud._ He had said. _All better._

“Ruby, it’s okay. Calm down.” Weiss’s voice was oddly comforting, and Ruby realized how much she had missed them in that moment.

Gone were the days where wounds were ‘all better’ with a bandage and some disinfectant. Gone were the days where she ran around the yard with a carboard scythe pretending to be a huntress like her mother. A new door had opened in Ruby’s life.

She burst into tears.

People shouted her name in alarm, and Ruby was hyperaware of ever sound around her. As she sobbed, her friends and family surrounding her, Ruby couldn’t help but think she’d never be able to really tell her fairytale. Even now, the details were slipping through her fingers like the white dust of the world she had apparently spent months in. She wanted to run away from that world with the sky that shattered with the moon and the white dust floor. With the dulled sounds and smells and no color. 

And today was not the day to tell the story anyway. She would return there one day, no doubt. She would return to that headspace and that story. But today she was _here_. Her story was _now._ She was in Remnant with the cool summer breezes and the yellow bedsheets and her sister’s warm hand atop her own.

Her story could wait until tomorrow.

As if reading her mind, as her team watched her silver eyes overflowing with tears, the three girls wrapped themselves around their leader, who had finally come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/14/18


End file.
